Category: Creative Writing
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Applying Occam’s Razor to creative writing (plot twists, style)
Occam’s razor is the idea that if there is a simple, intuitive explanation for something, it is preferable to and more likely than a more convoluted explanation. In terms of plot, as I’m sure any mystery writer could tell you, this means you might want to keep these basic points in mind: In terms of…
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Thankful Thursday: thankful for the classics that formed me
I have always loved reading the classics. I was a Spanish and English double major in college, and I got a Master’s in Spanish literature largely thanks to Don Quixote. Today, I am grateful for the classics that formed me: that helped to form my character (and characters), my voice, my writing style, my plots,…
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Should you write to meet genre expectations?
I don’t know if there is a concrete, one-size-fits-all answer to this question. But for what it’s worth, here are my thoughts. We all know different genres have different expectations, including, but not limited too: So, should you write to meet genre expectations? If you care about being marketable more than you care about the…
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The one trait every heroic character must have
Before I reveal the character trait this post is about, I want to distinguish between a protagonist and a hero. There are some fun protagonists who I wouldn’t call heroes. Ok, that said, what is the one trait every heroic character must have? drumroll please… Humility is the mother of giants. G.K. Chesterton Yes, it’s…
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When writing a blurb for your novel, consider various “scopes”
I’m running a Bargain Booksy campaign today for The Crimson League: The Fight for Hope. I had to craft a new blurb for the promo. (They require that for reasons of SEO/Stock Engine Optimization). I love my new blurb. I also love the one from my publisher. I thought it could be a useful exercise…
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There is no wrong way to write, as long as your way works for you
I see a lot of focus on social media and on WordPress on word count. It feels like everyone is in a race just to vomit words upon the page. That’s not my approach at all, but it’s perfectly fine if it that’s what motivates you. I’ve never really cared about writing quickly, to be…
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On Setting, Part 3: Crafting Unique and Memorable Action Scenes
Before we launch into this, a caveat: what I will discuss here is a more critical technique for screenwriting than for novels or short stories. As I outline in this post on Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, I firmly believe that the strength of the written story, even in an action sequence, is…
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On Setting, Part 2: Characterization
It’s almost trite at this point to tell writers of fiction that they should “show, not tell” what’s going on around their characters and in their minds. One way to do this is let setting do some of the heavy lifting of characterization. This is especially doable if you have early scenes set in a…
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On Setting, Part 1: Mood, Lord of the Rings, and the Shire
Setting is so critical to any work of fiction. Today I am starting a series of posts on setting and how to use to it effectively to: The first thing any writer probably thinks of, when they think about setting, is its connection to mood. That is so obvious (and critical to manage well!) We…
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Creative writing as self-care
While book two of my trilogy is off with beta readers, I’m going through book three again, and then I need to do some serious work revising the prequel. I took a week’s break from all of that while I was running my free promo from June 10-June 14, and I didn’t realize the toll…
Creative Writing with the Crimson League 